Norma Shearer has become, for the most part, a forgotten figure in the history of cinema, despite being a star for more than 15 years and winning an Oscar as Best Actress (for 1930's The Divorcee). If you watch Turner Classic movies at all, you likely have at least heard of her, since TCM runs her movies with fair regularity (which totally makes sense--Shearer was a contract player at MGM, and Turner owns the rights to the MGM film library).
Shearer gets her proper due, however, in Complicated Women, which explores the liberation (sexual and otherwise) of women during Hollywood's Precode era--a liberation promptly stamped out by the Production Code instituted in 1934. Before then? Women could have affairs, whether they or their partners were already married or not; hold positions of power in industry; have a drink or three; and generally have a much better time on their own terms than they could after the Production Code was enforced.
Also? Shearer was freakin' hot.
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